Chapter 134. Lucius's Visit.
Several days later.
In a windowless room lit by a single lamp in the center of a vast basement, six cages held five people each. They looked pale and hollow-cheeked, deep shadows under their eyes from weeks of broken sleep. Even so, some of their gazes remained as sharp and watchful as the day Severus had caught them lurking around his house.
"Are you going to see them?" Nagini asked, a note of pity in her voice as she watched the Black Star members on the screen, the feed from the basement.
"Not yet. Too soon." He shook his head, stroking the doe purring on his lap. "Though I'm surprised they're still holding together after two weeks. I probably should have separated them."
He had decided to take a short break from the rituals. He had finished one already; what remained was the hardest, the one involving the Heart of the Ent King. He needed to extract the magic without losing any of its beneficial properties, which was no small task when working with ordinary magic, which was crude compared to primordial magic. In his past life, he had only read about wizards absorbing magic from such hearts. The rituals themselves had never been publicly documented, so he had to construct one from nothing, working from fragments he remembered from books read long ago.
"Young Master, why do you want such feeble creatures? They couldn't even survive my weakest roar." The Chimera King watched his daughter gaze at the smiling wizard with puppy-like adoration, puzzled. He sat at the table while Severus fed her thin slices of ham, fresh sandwiches appearing the moment he removed the meat. The lion felt a flicker of embarrassment. I need to be firmer with her.
"They may be nothing to you, but in magical Britain these are elite fighters, especially the leader. I can hardly send you out against ordinary wizards. They'd soil themselves the moment they laid eyes on you." He tossed another slice. The doe leaped and caught it, chewing happily as he stroked her head. "And I can't be bothered with every fool who crosses my path. I want them to serve me and handle such problems themselves."
"When you put it that way, it makes sense. A stupid question on my part."
"Don't worry about it."
"How I envy you," Nagini hissed, jealousy thick in her voice. She would have loved to stroke the cub herself, but she had no hands, and her tail just wasn't the same.
"Ah, such soft fur."
"You absolute bastard." She glared at his shameless grin and wished, not for the first time, that she could wipe it off his face. Preferably in a painful way.
"All right, off you go. I'm expecting a guest shortly. I'll have Gorby bring you some ham." He gave the little one a final ruffle. She nuzzled his palm happily. He conjured another transparent screen, and it showed a familiar silver-haired aristocrat approaching the large black gates.
The Chimera King nodded silently and led his daughter back to the lair.
"What does he want?" Nagini hissed, hostility creeping into her voice as she watched the nervous man come to a stop before the house.
"Probably about the Lestranges. At the last meeting, his father got an earful from Tom for not having them freed yet." Space began to distort around Severus as he sat at the table. A few meters away, gates materialized with a fence extending outward on either side, gradually encircling the building.
He didn't want Malfoy catching sight of the vast grounds around the house, or stumbling across the creatures. An illusion would serve perfectly well. With the house functioning as an artifact, manipulating Extension Charms was trivial. He simply moved the gates inward; the fence was nothing more than scenery to complete the picture.
After a few seconds the gates swung open. Lucius stepped through, his usual composed expression restored. The short distance from the gate to the house he had observed from outside stretched to nearly fifteen meters the moment he passed through. His gaze landed on Severus, sitting comfortably in a small gazebo, sipping tea, a snake coiled around his neck whose coloring made Lucius feel slightly queasy. Its very appearance put him on edge, but he managed a smile.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Severus. A new snake, I see?"
"You could say that." Severus nodded pleasantly and used magic to draw out the neighboring chair.
"Thank you."
As Lucius sat, he let his gaze travel over the building with mild curiosity. It was nothing like an ordinary aristocratic manor. His eyes caught on the satellite dish. He had seen such things often in the Muggle world. Though a Death Eater, he drew most of his income from that very world and was familiar with a broad range of Muggle inventions. He had a fair idea of what the dish was for. He didn't deal with simple people.
"I decided to bring a television into the house. A rather interesting Muggle invention. I'd recommend it. There are decades' worth of films, especially the ones where Muggles try their hand at portraying us. I could help with installation if you ever wanted."
"No, thank you." The refusal had nothing to do with contempt for Muggle things. It was the Dark Lord. If Tom ever saw such a device in his home, Lucius would be lucky to get away with only a Cruciatus. The worst case was considerably less pleasant. Voldemort's hatred for anything made by Muggles was legendary.
Still, Lucius felt a prickle of envy. Severus could do as he liked, sheltered by his teacher. While he, meanwhile, had to grovel before two half-bloods.
"If you change your mind, let me know. I'm happy to help a friend. Now, what can I do for you? You didn't come all this way for the pleasure of my company." Severus moved things along. Nagini was all but boring a hole through the man with her stare.
"That's right." Ignoring the unfriendly look he received, Lucius nodded gravely. "It's about the Lestranges. I'm here to ask for your help freeing them."
"Me?" Severus reached out and pressed the back of his hand to Malfoy's forehead with exaggerated concern. Malfoy flinched back. "No fever. Good, then. I know an excellent Healer, all the same. Shall I take you to her?"
"Stop mocking me." Malfoy pulled away, glaring.
"You're the one mocking me. Why on earth would I help them?"
"We're prepared to compensate you for your assistance."
"Do you think I need Galleons?" Severus regarded him with amused contempt and laughed.
"They're facing Azkaban. The Ministry won't leave it alone. They've been placed near Death Eater attacks more than once. There's no solid evidence yet, but..."
"Then free them yourself. Do I need to walk you through how?"
"It won't work. They're on the lowest level of the dungeon. Anti-Apparition wards, Aurors on every corner. A forced extraction would make them criminals. All their accounts frozen, property confiscated." He delivered the news grimly. Severus already knew all this, but he was curious what Malfoy would put on the table.
"Fair enough. But what's in it for me? Those idiots have been a thorn in my side more than once. Remember the assassins? Had my teacher not intervened, I'd be dead. Freeing them only creates more problems for me."
"They'll swear on their magic never to harm you again."
"Did you think of that yourself, or..."
Lucius produced three parchments.
"The first is the marriage contract between the Blacks and the Lestranges. The second is the oath I just described. The third is a small Muggle company, which will be yours the moment they walk free." He watched Severus with a carefully neutral expression.
"Now that's considerably more interesting. You should have led with that." Severus leaned back. "Still, let me think it over. I need to discuss it with someone. Two days should be sufficient."
"Of course. I'll inform Father." Outwardly Lucius remained composed, but a quiet excitement stirred within him. Severus would likely contact someone in the Ministry to discuss the matter.
"Good. Lunch before you go?"
"Thank you, but I've already eaten, and I have much to attend to." Malfoy quickly declined. He still needed to report to the Dark Lord and his father. "I won't keep you."
"As you like. I'll expect word in two days. Can you see yourself out?"
"I can manage. Good day."
"Good day, Lucius. Give Tom my regards. Tell him not to try anything clever." The aristocrat's left eye twitched, but he nodded and headed for the exit.
The moment he was off the property, Nagini turned to Severus with a searching look.
"Why do you want this? What's the point of freeing them? Wouldn't it be better if they rotted in Azkaban?"
"I've been meaning to start a Muggle business for a while. I just hadn't found the right opening. Now I have one. And I like the direction the Muggle world is heading. I want a front-row seat." He tapped her nose gently, smiling. "Doesn't that interest you?"
"Of course it does, but..."
"Don't worry. I've got it covered. Did you think I agreed to that contract without a plan? I have two full days to prepare. And I'm not afraid of the Lestranges wanting revenge. That's out of the question now. I adjusted the slave seal Tom placed on them when I visited the manor. They're bound to me as well. They'd never dare touch me or anyone I care about."
"So you planned this from the..." He tapped her muzzle. She hissed at him.
"No, I planned nothing. I couldn't care less about the Lestranges. This is entirely their own doing. Maybe the younger one finally had some sense knocked into him, or the older one did the knocking. Who knows?" He stretched with quiet satisfaction, laid his head on the table, and closed his eyes. "I'm not a Seer. I can't see the future."
"Sometimes it seems like you can."
"I have informants in a great many places. That's how I know things."
"Do you think they suspect you?" She slid off his neck onto the table, studying his calm face.
"Quite the opposite. Tom is convinced I had those idiots locked up myself. He thinks it's my revenge for him trying to use my feelings for Bellatrix against me. That's why they came to me." He yawned, his voice growing soft and unhurried. "Generally, nothing of particular interest."
"If you want to sleep, let's go inside."
"It's a warm evening. We can stay here. Half an hour, no more. Still plenty to do." A few seconds later, his breathing had evened out.
Watching the peace that settled over his face, Nagini wished she had a human body, if only for a moment, just to be able to reach out and touch him. Instead she pressed her muzzle against him and closed her eyes.
"I wish I could become human again soon."
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